SWANA 2023 Scholarship Applications Available February 1

SWANA is pleased to announce the opening of its 2023 Scholarship Program, which annually distributes up to $30,000 to six high school, undergraduate and graduate students.

“As a student, it is very beneficial having opportunities to get more involved in associations such as SWANA, and I had a great time learning more about SWANA and putting together my application, said Jenna Springer, an Environmental Engineering student at University of Wisconsin – Platteville and a 2022 winner of a $5,000 undergraduate scholarship.

“This award has helped me with tuition for this academic year,” she said. “Awards like this make it possible for students to focus more on their academics with less stress about the finances needed to go to college.”

SWANA’s Grant H. Flint Scholarship Awards Program makes available:

• Three scholarships of $5,000 to high school seniors going onto a two- or four-year college or university. The students must be sponsored by a relative who is a current SWANA member.
• One scholarship of $5,000 to a rising college junior or senior who is a SWANA student member (or sponsored by a SWANA member) and studying a topic related to solid waste or resource management.
• The $5,000 Harvey W. Gershman Scholarship, named for SWANA life member and co-founder of Gershman, Brickner & Bratton (GBB). Undergraduate students enrolled at Northeastern University, Boston, MA and interested in a career in the solid waste industry are prioritized for this award.
• The $5,000 Robert P. Stearns/SCS Engineers Scholarship, named for the co-founder of SCS Engineers, which provides funding for a student pursuing a graduate degree in an environmental field.

Scholarship application forms are available on SWANA’s website. Applications must be submitted to each student’s or sponsor’s Chapter Scholarship Chair no later than May 1. Each chapter can then forward three nominations—one each for the highs school, undergraduate, and graduate levels—for consideration by the International Awards Committee. SWANA’s awards will be announced in late summer.

Many SWANA chapters also provide local scholarships as well as sending nominees on to SWANA. Check their websites, which are linked on SWANA’s scholarship page.

SWANA currently has about 780 student members, defined as full-time undergraduate and graduate students. Student membership is free for the duration of full-time enrollment, a benefit intended to open the doors for students to learn more about the industry and SWANA.

“Scholarships are an invaluable way to attract the planners, engineers, drivers, mechanics, advocates, and leaders our industry will need to thrive in the next decade,” said Ashlea Smith Sabeti, Marketing Manager & Consultant, GBB as part of outlining the labor force changes that make it critical for the industry to attract new workers. See her full comments on SWANA’s scholarship page. Harvey W. Gershman, a SWANA life member and co-founder of GBB, donated the funds to start and maintain the Gershman Scholarship for undergraduate students interested in a career in the solid waste or resource management industry.

For more information about SWANA’s Grant H. Flint Scholarship Program, visit our website or email Sara Bixby at sbixby@swana.org.